5 day desert tour from Marrakech to Fes, with a night at Aït Ben Haddou and a free day in Merzouga

Overview

This 5 day desert tour from Marrakech to Fes follows the classic road across the High Atlas to the Sahara, then north through the Middle Atlas, but it breaks the journey where the three-day version has to hurry. The first day is short on kilometres: you leave the main road after the Tizi n'Tichka, drive down the old caravan track past Telouet and the Ounila valley, and sleep in the village of Aït Ben Haddou, so you can walk the ksar in the quiet of the evening.

Day two is an easy run along the kasbah road through Ouarzazate, Skoura and the rose valley of Kelaat M'Gouna to the Dades valley. On day three you walk into the Todra gorge and reach Merzouga in time for a camel ride to camp at sunset. Then comes the day most shorter tours skip: a whole day around Erg Chebbi, with Gnawa music in Khamlia, the market in Rissani and time in the dunes, before a night in a hotel at the edge of the sand. The last day crosses the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas to Fes.

You travel privately, with your own vehicle and driver, and the stops can move to suit you. Our Merzouga desert travel guide tells you more about the villages and the seasons around Erg Chebbi, and if you have a different route in mind, you can also hire a private driver in Morocco for any number of days.

Highlights

• The old caravan road from Telouet down the Ounila valley
• A night at Aït Ben Haddou, the UNESCO-listed ksar, once the day visitors have gone
• Skoura's palm grove and the rose fields of Kelaat M'Gouna
• A walk through the Todra gorge, where the walls rise to about 300 m
• A sunset camel ride and a night at camp among Erg Chebbi dunes up to about 150 m
• A free day in Merzouga: Khamlia, the Rissani market and the dunes at your own pace

Itinerary, day by day

1. 1

   Marrakech → Tizi n'Tichka → Telouet → Ounila valley → Aït Ben Haddou

   Pickup around 8:00 at your riad or hotel in Marrakech. The road climbs through walnut trees and Berber villages to the Tizi n'Tichka, about 2,260 m up in the High Atlas. Just after the pass you turn off towards Telouet, where the half-ruined kasbah of the Glaoui family still hides rooms of carved plaster, tiles and painted cedar. From there a quiet road follows the Ounila river south, past earthen hamlets, salt pans and green terraces, until Aït Ben Haddou appears on its hill. You arrive in the afternoon, cross the riverbed and climb up to the old granary as the light turns gold.

   About 200 km · roughly 6 hours including stops · Overnight: a guesthouse in the village of Aït Ben Haddou

2. 2

   Aït Ben Haddou → Ouarzazate → Skoura → Kelaat M'Gouna → Dades

   A gentle day on the "road of a thousand kasbahs". In Ouarzazate, the door of the desert, you can look round the film studios or the courtyards of Kasbah Taourirt. In Skoura you walk for a while under the palms, beside the earth channels that share the water between the fields. Further east, Kelaat M'Gouna is the town of roses: in spring the hedges flower pink, and all year the shops sell rose water and soap. The road then follows the river up into the Dades valley, where you stop for dinner and the night.

   About 210 km · roughly 5 hours including stops · Overnight: a hotel or guesthouse in the Dades valley

3. 3

   Dades → Todra gorge → Merzouga → camel ride to camp

   After breakfast you drive to Tinghir and walk into the narrowest part of the Todra gorge, where the cliffs almost close overhead and the stream runs at your feet. The afternoon road crosses open, stony country past Alnif's fossil shops and the old khettara wells near Jorf, then the first orange dunes rise on the horizon. In Merzouga you leave your main luggage in the vehicle, take a small bag and ride a camel into Erg Chebbi for about an hour as the sun goes down. Dinner, drums and a dark, starry sky at camp.

   About 290 km · roughly 7 hours including stops · Camel ride about 1 hour · Overnight: standard desert camp in Erg Chebbi (luxury upgrade available)

4. 4

   Sunrise in the dunes → a free day around Merzouga

   Climb the dune behind camp for sunrise, then ride back to the village for breakfast and a shower. Today there is no long drive. Your driver takes you round the dunes to Khamlia, where families play Gnawa music over a glass of mint tea, and on to Rissani, the old market town of the Tafilalet oasis, with its covered souk of dates, spices and baskets. Rest through the hottest hours, then head back out to the sand in the late afternoon to walk, take photos or simply watch the shadows grow longer on the dunes.

   Short drives only · Overnight: a hotel at the edge of the dunes in Merzouga

5. 5

   Merzouga → Ziz valley → Midelt → Azrou → Ifrane → Fes

   The longest day, so the start is early. You pass Erfoud and follow the Ziz valley north, a long ribbon of palms between bare cliffs, with a viewpoint over the gorges beyond Errachidia. Lunch is usually in Midelt, on the high plateau below the Ayachi range. In the afternoon the land turns green: the cedar forest near Azrou, where Barbary macaques often sit by the road, and then Ifrane, with its pitched roofs and tidy gardens. You reach Fes in the early evening and are dropped off at your riad or hotel.

   About 470 km · roughly 8–9 hours including stops · Drop-off at your accommodation in Fes

Hotels and desert camps on this tour

Standard accommodation is included in the price. You can upgrade to superior hotels and camp for €35 per person per night; choose it in the booking panel.

Good to know before you go

Route map

Marrakech → Tizi n'Tichka → Telouet → Aït Ben Haddou → Ouarzazate → Skoura → Kelaat M'Gouna → Dades → Tinghir (Todra) → Merzouga → Rissani → Erfoud → Ziz valley → Midelt → Azrou → Ifrane → Fes

Questions about the 5-day Marrakech to Fes tour

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